News

[UPR Trax] :No22: New tools for NGO lobbying on UPR-info.org

29/04/2011

From March 16 to 18, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted the Working Group Reports of States reviewed last November at the ninth UPR session: Liberia, Malawi, Mongolia, Panama, Maldives, Andorra, Bulgaria, Honduras, United States, Marshall Islands, Croatia, Jamaica, Micronesia, Lebanon and Mauritania. Libya’s adoption was postponed to June by the HRC Bureau on March 2nd following a Note verbale sent by the Permanent Mission of Libya to the United Nations in regards of the situation in the country.

During the general debate under item 6 held on March 18, States and NGOs focused on the Outcome of the 2011 HRC Review which was issued in February and to be adopted the week after. 29 NGOs, under the initiative of UPR Info, delivered a joint statement to express their disappointment at the new UPR modalities contained in the Outcome of the HRC Review. This statement was a follow-up to a joint submission made to the HRC Review first Working Group session in October 2010. Then, 39 organisations had called on the HRC to improve seven key modalities of the UPR. The joint statement assessed which of those seven proposals had been included in the Outcome and called on the HRC and States to continue to improve the UPR mechanism in practice through the second cycle.

Japan, Mauritius and Poland submitted a mid-term report on the implementation of recommendations while Czech Republic, Malaysia and Portugal provided oral updates on the progress achieved.

On March 24, the HRC adopted by consensus a resolution on the HRC Review. The Outcome on the Review presented on February 24 at the second session HRC Review Working Group was annexed to the resolution A/HRC/16/L.39 and will serve as a supplement to resolutions 5/1. The final stage of the Review process is taking place in New York where the General Assembly (GA) is holding discussions on the issue of the HRC membership and on the relationship between the Third Committee, the GA and the HRC. A final decision is expected by the end of May.

On May the 2nd will start the eleventh and before last session of the first cycle of the UPR. The following countries will be reviewed in this order: Belgium, Denmark, Palau, Somalia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Latvia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Suriname, Greece, Samoa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Hungary and Papua New Guinea.

On UPR-info.org, we have developed new tools to facilitate NGOs lobbying. Through the statistics provided by the database, it is now possible to find out the main issues of concerns of each participating State. This will thus save tremendous time to NGOs when trying to identify States. NGOs will know easily the priorities of each State and will be able to better target them.

In the coming months, we will be starting a new project on the follow-up. We will contact States, National institutions and NGOs in order to collect information on the implementation of UPR recommendations at the national level. This information will then be posted on the website and in the database. Information can already be sent to this address: info@upr-info.org.

Finally, in partnership with seven other Geneva-based organisations, UPR Info is creating a Human Rights Portal that will facilitate access to online information from the various Human Rights mechanisms of the United Nations. In order to better understand the information needs from NGOs and develop new tools, we circulated a survey. The Portal will be launched in the next coming months.

Quote of the month

“All recommendations have been clarified, for instance, the one of our colleague from Switzerland, who is always so interested on this, […] has been rejected”

H.E. Mr. Rodolfo Reyes Rodríguez, Ambassador of Cuba, Vice-President of the Human Rights Council and Chairman of the meeting, after Switzerland asked for clarification from Liberia and Malawi on their responses to recommendations, HRC 16th session, 16 March 2011.

Interview of the month

Our interviewee of the month is Ms. Katharina Rose, Geneva Representative of the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs). She talks about the ICC engagement in the 2011 Human Rights Council Review and the role of NHRIs in the UPR:

Deadlines

16 May: Submission of written statements for Working Group Reports adoptions from the 10th UPR session at the 17th HRC session (7-9 June 2011)

16 May: Booking of room for side events for Working Group Reports adoptions from the 10th UPR session at the 17th HRC session (7-9 June 2011)

30 May: Opening of the online registration on the speakers' list for Working Group Reports adoptions from the 10th UPR session at the 17th HRC session (7-9 June 2011)

News on the UPR

UPR General debate focuses on the HRC Review - 29 April 2011

On March 18, the Human Rights Council (HRC) held a general debate under item 6 on the Universal Periodic Review. The most discussed topic by States and NGOs was the Outcome of the 2011 HRC Review which was issued in February. Read more here…

On March 18, Japan, Mauritius and Poland each presented during the general debate under item 6 of the Human Rights Council a mid-term report on the progress of implementation of UPR recommendations and pledges. Read more here…

HRC adopts its Review Outcome by consensus - 11 April 2011

On Friday the 25th, the Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted by consensus a resolution adopting the HRC Review Outcome. Read more here…

NGOs express disappointment at the HRC Review process - 11 April 2011

On March 18, 29 NGOs delivered a joint statement at the Human Rights Council (HRC) to express their disappointment at the new UPR modalities contained in the Outcome of the HRC Review. Read more here…

Adoption of the Report of the Working Group on Libya postponed - 8 March 2011

The adoption of the Report of the Working Group on Libya, initially scheduled on Friday 18 March, was postponed to the 17th Human Rights Council (HRC) session of June. Read more here…

News on UPR-info.org

UPR Info starts new project on the follow-up - 26 April 2011

UPR Info is starting a new project on the follow-up. In the coming months, we will contact States, National institutions and NGOs in order to collect information on the implementation of UPR recommendations at the national level. Read more here…

New statistics on the participation of each State - 13 April 2011

Following the launch of our statistics feature on our database of UPR recommendations last December, we are pleased to present new detailed statistics on the participation of each State under Review and Recommending State.

Online survey to understand information needs - 16 March 2011

UPR Info, in association with other Geneva-based organizations, is creating a Human Rights Portal that will facilitate access to online information. Read more here…